Henry f



nitcd gime intent (Militia,

Letters ,Patent No. 101,631, (lated April 5, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN STORING POWER IN PNUMATIC LOCOMOTIVES.

The Schedule referred to in these Lfetters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom Iit may concern: l l

Be it known that I, HENRY F. O. KRUMME, of

' Ridgway, in the county of Elk and State of Penna same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which- The ligure is a side elevation.

This invention consists in an apparatus for enabling a railroad train, when drawn by a pneumatic engine, to bring itself to a halt by the resistance 'afforded to the pumps connected with the driving or other wheels of its locomotive, and-employed in condensing atmospheric air into the main tank, by which process brakes are rendered unnecessary, and power is stored up for drawing the train when it is set in motion again.

In the drawingsa is a pneumatic railway locomotive.

b is one of the cylinders, connected with the driving-wheel by a rod, c.

d ll are pump-cylinders, the piston-heads of which are connected by a single rod, e.

h is a rod, connect-ing the piston-rod e with the driving-wheel.

The pump-valves are so contrived that, when the driving-cylinders are in operation, the air is allowed to enter and leave the pump-cylinders by means of the lever z, which controls the valves e e e c'. Consequently, in this condition, the pumps are not at work; but, when it is desired to stop the train or check its velocity, the communication between the tank ofthe loeomotive and driving-cylinders is cut o' by the proper machinery, and the valves e e' e c closed by means of the connecting-rod and lever z. Thereupon the pump-cylinders at once begin to condense air in the main tank, vand continue condensation until the train stops, or is sufficiently checked. The air thus condensed may be retained in the tank for any length ot' time, where it is always ready to be utilized in starting and drawing the train again.

The first charge is forced into the tank by means of a stationary steam-engine, or hydrostatic pressure, and the greater its condensation, the less will be the number and caliber of pumps required, for the reason that it will oppose greater resistance to the drivingwheels, and consequently stop the train sooner. The pumps are so arranged that they may be all vset at work together, or one after another, lest the shock to the machinery should be too great.

A train weighing two hundred tous, at avclocity ofk twenty miles per hour, has a momentum of four thousand tons, of which power, (less that expended in the Way of `friction in checking the train, which would not be over one-third, leaving a residuum of' two thousand six hundred and sixty-six and two-thirds tons, or one hundred and sixty-four horse-power,) can be stored in the forni of compressed air during the process of stopping. It will be readily perceived how Vast is the saving, over the use4 of steam, elected by my invention.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

lhe method of storing power in locomotives dr'iven by compressed air, as described.

H. I". (i. KRUMME.

Witnesses:

GHAs. A. Pn'r'rrr, T. P. SIMPSON.' 

